No charges sends bad message to rioters

For the first time in history, social media has provided an opportunity of the lifetime to engage with the common citizen of VancouverSocial media like Twitter and Facebook are being used as “push technology” to communicate from VPD to the citizens of Vancouver = EPIC FAIL. Where is the ONE on ONE conversations? Overwhelming response from common citizens by contributions from Facebook updates, screenshots, pictures, video, lulzpics, but the police failed to speak to us. No forums, no boards, no direct conversations.

Police failed to manage the “digital crime scene”Where was the Virtual Police Force? VPD should have been in control of the Facebook page or Flickr page, owned the Twitter hash, captured geotagged images as they posted, capture video immediately. Why Press releases? Communications are few and far between, and the optics on the riot investigation, riot hearings, and justice system = EPIC FAIL. Social media provided VPD the opportunity to speak 1 to 1.

Tale of two riot cities – Vancouver vs. London – Bad guy messageNow we have a comparison of other police forces in another part of the world under considerable more riot pressure than experienced in Vancouver, and IMHO the UK police are controlling social media, keeping an open dialogue with the public, and the optics look positive. Rioters in Vancouver aren’t hiding out. Even the criminals that threatened the Kotylak family aren’t hiding or scared for their actions on Facebook.

Rioters and anyone who committed crimes on Facebook are being arrested and charged in the UK. Over a dozen people have already been arrested for messages they’ve sent online. Two men from Lancashire and another from Sussex have been charged for using Facebook to encourage disorder, and an 18-year-old man was arrested after he tweeted a picture of himself posing with looted goods.The courts are open at night to deal with the backlog. Trucks are being driven around town with rioters photos asking the public to identify them. UK police are managing the “digital crime scene”. Rioters are scared and hiding out. Rioters in the UK are already being sentenced in their courts. Almost 600 charged and 3000 arrested in the UK riots. In one example, a looter and his mother got an eviction notice from their home. There must be consequences if you riot.

Police are tracking and arresting suspected rioters using their Tweets, posts, and text messages. Bad guy message is clear in the UK – RIOT=JAIL